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Hwasal-1 Ground Launched Cruise Missile [GLCM] - KN-27 ???

The Academy of Defence Science of the DPRK successfully test-fired new type long-range cruise missiles on September 11 and 12, 2021. The missile was nearly identical in appearange to the American BGM-109 Tomahawk Ground Launched Cruise Missile [GLCM]. The mobile transporter erector launcher (TEL) apparently carried five missiles, while the American GLCM TEL carried four missiles. The types of guidance employed were not disclosed. An inertial guidance system would probably provide an accuracy of about 1 kilometer, sufficient for a nuclear strike against an urban target.

The test flights were successfully held. The launched long-range cruise missiles traveled for 7 580 seconds along an oval and pattern-8 flight orbits in the air above the territorial land and waters of the DPRK and hit targets 1 500 km away. The test launches showed that the technical indices such as the thrust power of the newly developed "turbine-blast" engine, the missiles' navigation control and the end guided hit accuracy by the combined guided mode met the requirements of designs.

The released image of the "Hwasal-2" is consistent with the second observed LACM. Joseph Dempsey observed "Therefore logically the first observed LACM would be 'Hwasal-1'" Both white and black versions of “long-range cruise missile” were on display next to launch vehicles in separate spots at the 12 October 2021 weapons expo in Pyongyang. There appear to be small differences between the two but it is likely that they are an evolution based on one common design. The name Hwasal means "Arrow" and is of Korean origin.

The missiles flew successfully using propulsion power generated by the "turbine blast" engine and passed technical indicators with flying colors which included detailed tests of missile parts, scores of engine ground thrust tests, various test flights, control and guidance tests and warhead power tests. The test-firings took place without leader Kim Jong-un present instead, senior military official and Presidium member of the North's politburo of the ruling Workers' Party, Pak Jong-chon watched the launch.

Some reports suggested that this missile was first seen in the October 2020 military parade in Pyongyang, but contemporaneous accounts provide no mention of such a system. The North has paraded a TEL used by the KN-25 artillery rocket, with the five tubes seen with the new GLCM. Indeed, the new GLCM TEL seems nearly identical with that of the KN-25. But the give-away is that the previous appearances of the five-tube TEL had missiles peeking out the front of the tubes, that had the forward fins characteristic of the KN-25, which are utterly absent from the new GLCM. The 450-mm diamters of the KN-25 is smaller than the notional 533-mm diameter of the new GLCM [based on the Tomahawk dimensions], but the difference is not great.

According to the KCNA, Pak said the missiles are another great manifestation of the tremendous capabilities of the North's defense science and technology and the munitions industry. He stressed the need for the field of national defense science to go all out to increase defense capabilities, the war deterrence of the country and to keep making achievements in meeting the grand and long-term targets of securing war deterrence.

The US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement that the reported missile launches highlight North Korea's continuing focus on developing its military program and the threats that poses to its neighbors and the international community. While United Nations Security Council resolutions bar North Korea from launching ballistic missiles, cruise missiles don’t face such restrictions.

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party was set to hold a leadership election later in September, and one candidate, former Internal Affairs Minister Takaichi Sanae, commented on North Korea's announcement that it successfully test-fired long-range cruise missiles. She said, "The missiles pose a big threat to us. It's time for Japan to have precision-guided missiles. It will be a race to disable the enemy bases first." Possibly the new "strategic" weapons could have been test-fired at sea near North Korea's east coast but not far as to invade the waters of Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone.

South Korea's Defense Minister Suh Wook said the military assets of South Korea and the U.S. detected North Korea's latest test-fire of long-range cruise missiles before the North reported the launch. His remarks came during a regular session of the National Assembly on 14 September 2021 amid speculation that South Korea's military was not able to detect the missiles in advance and was not able to alert the public right away.

Seoul's defense minister said South Korea is already capable of intercepting North Korea's cruise missiles via early detection and that the military continues to enhance its defense capabilities through close observation. He didn't elaborate on when or how they were detected but said specific details regarding the recent launch are being analyzed by the alliance. Regarding the North's cruise missile technology, Suh said the Defense Ministry has been aware of its development since the early 2000s and that North Korea is executing its accumulated tech knowledge in full swing.

The South Korean military said North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles into the Yellow Sea west of the Korean Peninsula. South Korean media say the cruise missiles North Korea fired 22 July 2023 may have been "Hwasal" strategic cruise missiles. The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff announced Pyongyang launched multiple cruise missiles from around 4 a.m. local time into the Yellow Sea, west of the Korean Peninsula. The South Korean and US militaries are conducting a detailed analysis. The Yonhap News Agency reported that North Korea may have fired "Hwasal" strategic cruise missiles, possibly to show off its ability to stage nuclear attacks on South Korea and US military bases in Japan.

In March 2023, the North announced it had test-fired "Hwasal" missiles as part of its attempt to develop various types of missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. North Korea had been reacting sharply to the first port call in the South in 42 years by a US nuclear-powered submarine capable of carrying ballistic missiles equipped with nuclear warheads. Washington and Seoul also held the inaugural meeting of the bilateral Nuclear Consultative Group on the same day. Pyongyang was apparently stepping up its confrontational stance toward Washington and Seoul as it prepares to mark the 70th anniversary of the 1953 Korean War Armistice on July 27. Pyongyang sees the day as an occasion to celebrate what it calls its victory over the US.

The latest tests were assessed to have come in response to Seoul and Washington's recent joint military exercise and Seoul's test launch of a submarine-launched ballistic missile(SLBM). The test-fire of long-range signifies that the North is trying to send a message to the U.S. and the international community that not only does it possess state-of-the-art ballistic missiles, but is also developing cruise missiles that could reach U.S. bases in Japan, Guam and Alaska.

Public broadcaster NHK assessed that Pyongyang likely conducted the tests to highlight its unchanged position regarding its missile development. The broadcaster also took note of the launches occurring ahead of a meeting of the top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan in Tokyo this week to seek ways to jump start the denuclearization process.

The launch was seen by some as measured as just enough to not provoke too much from the U.S. by launching intercontinental ballistic missiles which would surely cross the U.S.' "red-line" but at the same time be able to pressure the Biden administration for future negotiations. The latest military parade carried out by the North 09 September 2021 did not display new strategic weapons. In addition to economic concerns and pandemic concerns which also may have induced a down-scaling of the parade, possibly the North was also trying to show the Americans that they are reasonable and open to negotiations.

Christine Parthemore wrote in 2017 that : "A number of experts consider the risks of miscalculation, misperception, rapid escalation, and arms racing to be greater for nuclear-armed cruise missiles than for many other types of nuclear weapons. Some of these risks are inherent to the characteristics of current and planned nuclear-armed cruise missiles, while others stem from perceptions of rhetoric regarding their use and other factors."

The Academy of Defence Science of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea conducted the test-fire for updating long-range cruise missile system on 25 January 2022. Officials of the Department of the Munitions Industry of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and leading officials of the Academy of Defence Science guided the important weapon tests in field. In the test-fire for updating the long-range cruise missile system, two long-range cruise missiles flew for 9,137 seconds along the flight trajectory over the East Sea of Korea to hit the target island 1,800 km away. KCNA reported "The practical combat performance of the long-range cruise missile system would hold a reliable share in boosting the war deterrence of the country.""

The cruise missiles could be a new type first displayed at a defense exhibition held in Pyongyang in October 2021. North Korea's announcement of the missile launches referred to what it called a "missile warhead institute" for the first time. The institute was described as an entity under the Academy of Defense Science.

Bryan Betts noted "South Korea’s military reportedly did not detect a black-livery cruise missile launched from a five-canister TEL in Sept. 2021. The military said it did detect the same apparent system during an Oct. 2022 test, but said it chose not to disclose the launch publicly in real time “based on considerations over exposing our government’s surveillance capabilities.” That was a departure from Jan. 2022, when Seoul announced a DPRK cruise missile launch in real time, days before Pyongyang published details and photos showing the white-livery missile launched from a five-canister TEL on a luxury hotel’s beach near one of Kim Jong Un’s mansion compounds."